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Topic: Kenmore (Whirlpool) Side by side Refrigerator getting very hot to touch on front (Read 31923 times)

I am glad you fixed it... I would keep an eye on that fan motor... when the compressor is on that fan should be turning ... this unit pulls air in from the front thou the condenser then back out the front...

For the yoder loop to get that hot you had no heat exchange in your condenser...

Why is there no edit option on messages? Or am I just missing it? Weird ... anyway ......

It won't come out the back and it won't come through the front. Also, the heat problem (the original issue) seems to be resolved. The fan was fine but the problem probably was caused by the removed cardboard cover over the condenser. Without that cover there was no relatively enclosed air-path for the fan to pull out the heat. I had to duct tape it on because it has ripped over the years and I sure as heck aren't paying $75 for a new one.

IF anyone is still having this problem....I stumbled across this problem at a friends house tonight. We looked on google at the "troubleshooting" reasons to fix or rather find out the problem. If your food is not piled up in the fridge, and the vents on the front side are not clogged with dust...(behind the front vent on the bottom side)...

Open the back of fridge (cardboard)...Look to see if the fan is moving "be careful!!! The damn thing is extremely hot!! But the fan sits just to the right of the compressor motor, sort of in the middle if looking at it sitting down. Anyways, the fan should be moving FREELY. WHAT WE FOUND WAS THE CARDBOARD FROM THE FLOOR PIECE WAS BLOCKING THIS FAN FROM MOVING FREELY. So, unplug the fridge...and cut away some of the blockage...or if your feeling like superman or woman "lift the fridge up and fix the cardboard. .....But this is what fixed are problem...I hope this helps someone troubleshooting... and saves someone the cost of a repair man.

Also: plug the fridge back in after you are sure the fan is free to move. Leave the back off and the fridge pulled away from the wall for a little bit...give it time to breathe....ours cooled down in about 30 min.... Our compressor motor was too hot to touch....Scary huh?! I thought so...

Hello - reviving an old(er) thread. GE side by side, Conquest model GS5SHAXNL00. I have the heated up vertical door divider issue. No other malfunctions that I know of. I went through this thread, removed the front kick panel, and discovered that my cleaning regimen under there needs improvement. The cooling elements were totally clogged. After cleaning, I let it run for a day and did not notice much improvement, but maybe a little. Pulled unit out today to look in the back. I removed the lower panel and found some dust bunnies but nothing like the front side. Some debris in the back (papers that fell behind). Fan is running, seams slower than I would expect, but running. My question here is regarding the compressor, which is quite hot. Almost too hot to hold my hand/fingers on. Is that normal? I didn't see any other possible solutions other than the fan, and clogged coils.Thank you-